Pirates stop slide against Rockies

Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 2

Jose Tabata went 3-for-4, including his third home run of the year. He fell just short of hitting for the cycle, missing only the double.

The victory ended an ugly two-game losing streak in which the Bucs were outscored 17-2.

With the victory, the Pirates extended their lead in the NL Central Division to 1 1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost in Cincinnati.

Liriano (12-4) has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the major leagues this season. He had six strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.02 on Saturday, but he hasn't thrown enough innings to qualify as one of the leaders in baseball's statistical rankings.

Mark Melancon recorded his sixth save with a perfect ninth inning.

Pittsburgh scored three runs against Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa (10-6) and added two more runs against reliever Adam Ottavino.

Gaby Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison chipped in with an RBI each.

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